mcdaniel's Weblog

Sample video lessons

mokmcdaniel — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 15:21:12 +0000

I thought I would make these sample video lessons available. They are about WebCT Vista.

Re-cut project

mokmcdaniel — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 20:59:05 +0000

If you would like to take a look, I am attaching a re-cut video that I did for UCD5730.

Reusable learning objects

mokmcdaniel — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:54:47 +0000

I have been reading a lot about Instructional systems design (ISD) as of late (see Dick and Carey for more information on this model). My primary focus has been on the cost/benefit of developing software and application for re-usability.

While this might seem mundane or boring, this has a very important impact on the work that I do. Building learning objects that are reusable and easy to maintain have far reaching effects on the ability and effectiveness of instruction. While much of the literature that I have been reading has stressed the importance of creating reusable learning objects, I have been attempting to include these concepts into code generation.

My main focus has been on the cost effectiveness of creating learning objects that can easily be modified and maintained by the direct subject matter experts (SME). This has shifted some of my focus away building highly unique programs, and moving more towards applications that can be easily maintained by end users.

The main benifit, in my mind, is that once I have developed an application that can be modified and maintained by a SME, I can be removed from the process. This is a significant time and money saver as the expense of employing a programmer to make small modifications is very costly and time consuming.

An additional benefit that I have observed is that when the modification and alteration of the applications is left to the SMEs, the application are adapted and used in more specific ways.

I plan to post more on this subject once I gather my thoughts and have some examples to show.

mokmcdaniel — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:39:25 +0000

I just wanted to post some interesting blogs about IDT that I have found while reading about the subject:

IDOS: http://ome.ksu.edu/id/blog/
This is an interesting blog site for those of us who think gaming can be educational.

Instructional Design Blog: http://blogs.uit.tufts.edu/id/
This blog has a wide variety of resources, including links to EDUCAUSE Quarterly (which you can access directly by clicking on the this link)

Instructional Design and Educational Technology: http://www.wideopendoors.net/
This site is great for us graduate students. Starts with a nice definition of IDT and has many resources that academics can use (ie. links to APA styles and teaching theories).

InfoDesign: http://www.informationdesign.org/
This site is heavy on technology. It has good design resources for usability and accessibility for elearning content.

mokmcdaniel — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:11:51 +0000

As I have been reading about IDT I have found a bit of an identity issue from within the field itself. It appears to me that, like the title of the field itself, it’s members are in debate about what we are doing and how we should proceed. This appears to be a very exciting time to get involved with this field, as we all may play a role in shaping the future of it!

I would also like to extend a nice presentation that I found on the web. This presentation gives a nice overview of IDT and what it is based on.

While reading about IDT, theories and models, it seems to me that most of the models are based on the ADDIE model. Some modifications are made depending on the end goals, but the basic premise of analysis, development, assessment and review remain the same.

BIO

mokmcdaniel — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 20:14:28 +0000

Welcome to my Trend’s Blog.

My name is Alex and I am happy that you have decided to come by and check out my blog. This blog will be used for my thoughts and comments about IDT.

A little history about me:

I am a former Army Sgt. turned academic… I have been maried for 9 years and have two wonderful girls!

Hello world!

mokmcdaniel — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 20:11:30 +0000

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!